Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Physicians towards Generic Medications Use in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37285/ijpsn.2020.13.2.7

Authors

  • Kebede Wondu
  • Awraris Anbasie
  • Abel Tesfaye

Abstract



In many countries, healthcare expenditures have continuously grown during the past years. One way to reduce health care expenditures is through a shift from prescribing expensive brand name drugs to less expensive comparable generic drugs.  The aim of the study was to explore the knowledge, attitude, and perception held by physicians towards generic medicine use. Physicians, who were actively involved in the prescription writing process in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) during a period of two months (i.e. April to May, 2018) were used to evaluate their knowledge, attitude, and perception base with regards to generic medicine use. A self-administered questioner was utilized to attain such purpose. A descriptive analysis (frequency, mean, percentages) was used to describe demographic information as well as physicians’ knowledge, attitude, and perception regarding generic medicine use. Sixty physicians filled and returned the questioner giving rise to a response rate of 60%. A 72.5% mean percentage of correct response was identified on knowledge base questions, indicating an overall adequate knowledge. In this regard, greater than 70% of the respondents gave a correct response on important issues like interchange-ability as well as safety and quality equivalence between generic and brand medicines. The only knowledge barrier that was observed is the belief that ‘generic medicines are not copies of brand name medicines’ (n=42; 70%). Major distrust of locally manufactured products with respect to quality as compared to multinational products was observed (n=32; 53.3%). Moreover, 56.7% of the participants feel neutral in their attitude towards ‘whether local manufacturers follow GMP’. The major factors reported to be a major influence of prescribing decisions were visits by medical representatives (n=25; 41.7%) and patients’ socioeconomic status (n=48; 80%). Most participants (n=37; 61.7%) expressed that they are not comfortable with generic substitution. Most of physicians relatively had acceptable knowledge, attitude, and perceptions towards generic medicines use. Training/education should be organized in order to improve the knowledge of physicians regarding medications cost. 

Downloads

Metrics

PDF views
7

Keywords:

Attitude, Generic Medicine, Knowledge, Perception, Physician

Downloads

Published

2020-03-31

How to Cite

1.
Wondu K, Anbasie A, Tesfaye A. Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Physicians towards Generic Medications Use in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Scopus Indexed [Internet]. 2020 Mar. 31 [cited 2024 Dec. 30];13(2):4851-6. Available from: https://ijpsnonline.com/index.php/ijpsn/article/view/263

Issue

Section

Research Articles

References

Alghasham A (2009). Generic drug prescribing in central Saudi Arabia: perceptions and attitudes of physicians. Ann Saudi Med 29: 24-90.
BeeCroft G (2007). Generic drug policy in Australia: a community pharmacy perspective. Health Policy 4(7): 1-7.
Chua GN, Hassali MA, Shafie AA and Awaisu A (2010). A survey exploring knowledge and perceptions of general practitioners towards the use of generic medicines in the northern state of Malaysia. Health Policy 95: 229-235.
Carthy P, Harvey I, Brawn R, Watkins C (2000). A study of factors associated with cost and variation in prescribing among GPs. Fam Pract. 17(1): 36-41.
Food and Drug Administration (USA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. What are generic drugs? Available from: http://www.fda.gov/cder/ogd/index.htm # Introduction. (Accessed on April 16, 2017).
Gossell Williams M (2007). Generic substitutions: A 2005 survey of the acceptance and perceptions of physicians in Jamaica. W INDIAN MED J 56: 458-63.
Jamshed SQ, Ibrahim MIM, Hassali MA, Masood I, Low BY, Shafie AA and Babar Z (2012). Perception and attitude of general practitioners regarding generic medicines in Karachi, Pakistan: A questionnaire based study. Southern Med Review 5; 1: 22-30.
Kaplan WN and Liang R (2005). Local Production: Industrial Policy and Access to Medicines. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank.
Kembhavi RS, Shinde RR, Hagawane T, Jadhav RA, Khairnar RR and Darade BD (2014). Cross Sectional, Observational Study to Assess Prescription Practices of Physicians with Respect to Use of Generic Medicines. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res 25(1): 90-96.
McGuire C, King S, Roche Nagle G and Barry M (2009). Doctors’ attitudes about prescribing and knowledge of the costs of common medications, IRISH J MED SCI 178(3): 277-280.
Paraponaris A, Verger P, Desquins B, Villani P, Bouvenot G, Rochaix L, Gourheux JC, Moatti JP, Panel MG Paca (2004). Delivering generics without regulatory incentives? Empirical evidence from French general practitioners about willingness to prescribe international non-proprietary names. Health Policy 70: 23-32.